The health ministry of the TASIS-aligned Peace Government on Wednesday officially declared a cholera outbreak in areas under its control in Kordofan, after laboratory tests confirmed the disease in samples sent to South Sudan.
The ministry said eight out of 10 samples sent to the National Public Health Laboratory in South Sudan tested positive for cholera.
The announcement follows weeks of reported acute watery diarrhoea cases in Fuja, in West Kordofan, where local sources said at least 80 people had died.
In a statement, the ministry said it had treated the situation as a cholera outbreak from the first reported cases, based on clinical symptoms and rapid test results, before laboratory confirmation was received.
According to the ministry, 758 cumulative cases have been recorded since the first case was reported in Fuja administrative unit, in Al-Nuhud locality, West Kordofan, on May 11, 2026. The ministry said 66 deaths had been recorded.
West Kordofan is the worst affected area, the ministry said, while cases have also been reported in several localities in North Kordofan.
The ministry said it was continuing health interventions in coordination with partners and local authorities. These include treating patients, strengthening disease surveillance, expanding public health awareness, improving water and sanitation measures, and setting up oral rehydration points and dedicated cholera treatment centres in affected areas.
It urged residents to follow preventive measures, including drinking safe water, washing hands regularly, handling food properly, and seeking medical care immediately if symptoms such as acute watery diarrhoea or vomiting appear.
The declaration comes as Sudan remains one of the countries hardest hit by cholera globally, with UNICEF previously reporting more than 2,400 deaths across 17 of the country’s 18 states over the past year.
